VANCOUVER, Wash. — Lockdowns at Evergreen High School and Cascade Middle School in Vancouver were lifted Thursday afternoon after a report of gunshots in the area earlier in the day, school officials confirmed. A teenage suspect is in custody.
Burton Elementary School was also temporarily placed on lockdown Thursday, The Columbian reported.
According to a statement from the Vancouver Police Department, officers responded shortly after 1 p.m. to a parking lot behind the Evergreen High School stadium after getting a report of a disturbance with gunshots heard in the area.
Upon getting a description of the suspect from witnesses, Vancouver police said that officers found and arrested him. There were no reported injuries from the gunfire, but investigators did recover several shell casings and a 9mm semi-automatic handgun.
Vancouver police said that the suspect is a 16-year-old male, but he is not believed to be a student at Evergreen High School. He was booked into the Clark County Juvenile Detection Center on charges for unlawful possession of a firearm, discharge of a firearm and two counts of first-degree assault.
VPD's Crime Reduction Unit is continuing an investigation into the incident, and the agency said that additional charges in the case are pending.
CRESA reported shortly before 2 p.m. that a shelter-in-place order had been sent to more than 4,000 contacts in a one-mile radius around Evergreen High School due to "ongoing police activity." About an hour later, CRESA said the order had been lifted.
School delays
In a letter sent out to Evergreen High School families Thursday evening, Principal Danny Orrantia said that school would start two hours late on Friday, at 10: 45 a.m., allowing staff time to "process the events," put resources in place to support students and discuss safety measures.
A district spokesperson added that Cascade Middle School will also be starting two hours late.
There will be additional security and administrative staff on campus Friday, Orantia added, as well as extra counselors.
"We encourage you to check on your students to see if they need extra support," Orantia said. "If you feel that your student does need support please reach out to me or another staff member and we will get your student the help they need."
"Today’s incident was scary for all of our students, staff and families," he continued. "I appreciate how everyone came together to keep our kids safe and how parents worked through the changes to the dismissal process. Thank you again for all your patience and cooperation today."
